Posts Tagged ‘Apple’

I was very excited about getting in a Dodocase for my iPad. I wrote an article then about how the Dodocase was a great idea. I had to wait 6 weeks for the case to arrive. The look is exactly what I had hoped and expected. It is a very sharp looking case and has a great feel when carried.

Unfortunately, I found it very awkward to type on when elevated in a landscape orientation. the problem is that unlike the standard Apple case the bamboo border elevates the screen to a level that just is beyond comfortable to type. If I hadn’t used the Apple case while waiting for the Dodocase it might have not been a deal breaker. The border also seems to raise the iPad up in a manner that doesn’t feel as natural as the Apple case.

Durability may be an issue with this case. Although the case seems to be made out of very good materials and workmanship. I found myself worrying about damaging the case. The folds got sharp edges on them after only a couple days of use. This might be normal but it reminded me of a book that was beginning to fray.

The Good Things

Handmade in the USA (I wish more items were)

The look very professional and non-intrusive

The feel carrying the iPad felt very natural

The Bad Things

Not as easy or natural to type on as the Apple iPad case

The raised up feeling position of the iPad that was not comfoï»¿rtable

The durability issue

In the end, I still think that Dodocase is a good value for the money. I am very pleased and impressed that it is made in the United States. I love the concept that is simple and very familiar. I found that it is not as functional as the Apple iPad case for typing and the durability issue made me conscious about the way that I folded the device while watching movies. It is good on so many great levels it is just the couple that it comes up short may determine if it works for you.

After saying that the reason that the iPhone 4 rated the highest of any smartphone they had tested, and Apple agreeing to give away a Bumper with each iPhone 4, Consumer reports is still calling the iPhone 4 a recommended model. Whatever remaining creditability Consumer Reports had has been completely eroded by their desire to stay in the news and continue to prolong this AntennaGate crap. My recommendation is to cancel subscriptions to Consumer Reports because they obviously have an agenda beyond providing correct reasonable information.

The Bumper solves the signal-strength problem. So does a piece of duct tape, as we reported earlier, or just being careful how you hold the phone. But these options all put the onus on consumers to solve or pay for a fix. We’re still calling on Apple to provide an acceptable free solution to the iPhone 4’s signal-loss problem.

—Paul Reynolds

Consumer Reports second statement

Consumer Reports believes Apple’s offer of free cases is a good first step. However, Apple has indicated that this is not a long-term solution, it has guaranteed the offer only through September 30th, and has not extended it unequivocally to customers who bought cases from third-party vendors. We look forward to a long-term fix from Apple. As things currently stand, the iPhone 4 is still not one of our Recommended models.

The NY Times reported that the source of the problems with Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna may be in fact due to the way that the software communicates with the antenna. I never have trusted Consumer Reports after I bought their top pick for inkjet printers -AS

One person with direct knowledge of the phone’s design said Thursday that the iPhone 4 exposed a longstanding weakness in the basic communications software inside Apple’s phones and that the reception problems were not caused by an isolated hardware flaw. Instead, the problems emerged in the complex interaction between specialized communications software and the antenna, said the person, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.

The person said the problems were longstanding but had been exposed by the design of the iPhone 4. All cellphones can be affected by the way a hand grips the phone, but well-designed communications software compensates for a variety of external factors and prevents calls from dropping, the person said.

Mr. Jobs did not learn about the software problem until after the iPhone 4 shipped last month, the person said.

Following along the lines of my post Apple to offer VOIP?, Boy Genius Report says that based on what they have seen in iOS 4.1 that Facetime connections will be based on e-mail addresses. This is more evidence that Apple could be looking at using VOIP for connections moving forward.

It’s actually pretty simple… Your Apple ID will be registered with your device/s, and that will allow other Apple devices to start a FaceTime call using your email address. Apple will also reportedly make use of push notifications to deliver these incoming FaceTime connection requests as we have been informed there is a push notification detector tied into the FaceTime frameworks in the new iPhone OS 4.1 beta. We’re not sure how Apple will handle an iPod touch trying to connect to a FaceTime session on an iPhone as it seems Apple would still require you to use the iPhone’s phone number, at least that’s how it seems currently. In all reality though, we’re pretty confident Apple will make a straight forward and unified way of talking to every eventual FaceTime-enabled Apple device or computer, and it might be an Apple ID, or possibly something else down the road.

New York Senator Charles Schumer sent an open letter to Steve Job’s about the antenna issue with the iPhone. Read the dribble below if you like.

I am sure that when his staff handed him his agenda this morning he confused the item to focus on getting people back to work (jobs) with Steve Jobs. He is very busy, it is understandable. No worries Senator Schumer things are going great in the country. Keep up the great work.

p.s. If Apple releases it, do you really think that most folks will understand the signal formula?

I write to express concern regarding the reception problem with the Apple iPhone 4. While I commend Apple’s innovative approach to mobile technology and appreciate its service to millions of iPhone users nationwide, I believe it is incumbent upon Apple to address this flaw in a transparent manner. According to Consumer Reports’ review, released Monday on its website, the iPhone 4’s signal-strength problem is a hardwire glitch triggered by gripping the device in a particular manner. This finding, according to Consumer Reports, “call[s] into question” Apple’s recent claim that the problem is “largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software.” Consumer Reports declined to recommend the iPhone 4 because of this hardware design flaw.

Given the discrepancy between Consumer Reports’ explanation of the reception problem and the explanation provided by Apple in its July 2 letter to customers, I am concerned that the nearly two million purchasers of the iPhone 4 may not have complete information about the quality of the product they have purchased. The burden for consumers caused by this glitch, combined with the confusion over its cause and how it will be fixed, has the potential to undermine the many benefits of this innovative device. To address this concern, I ask that Apple provide iPhone 4 customers with a clearly written explanation of the cause of the reception problem and make a public commitment to remedy it free-of-charge. The solutions offered to date by Apple for dealing with the so-called “death grip” malfunction-such as holding the device differently, or buying a cover for it-seem to be insufficient. These proposed solutions would unfairly place the burden on consumers for resolving a problem they were not aware of when they purchased their phones.

I also encourage Apple to keep its promise to provide free software updates so that bars displayed accurately reflect signal strength; I further urge Apple to issue a written explanation of the formula it uses to calculate bar strength, so that consumers can once again trust the product that they have invested in.

I look forward to Apple’s swift action on this matter, and once again laud Apple for its innovative efforts and service to millions of Americans.

The software update 4.0.1 has been released. According to apple this “improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display.” It is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and the iPhone 3G.

This is getting way too much attention. Bloomberg reports that an engineer warned Jobs about the possible problems with Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna design. Okay a barrier (i.e. duct tape or a case) that protects the gap from being touched solves the problem. There is oil pouring into the gulf of Mexico that is a problem that folks need to be focused on getting fixed. -AS

Apple Inc.’s senior antenna expert voiced concern to Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs in the early design phase of the iPhone 4 that the antenna design could lead to dropped calls, a person familiar with the matter said.

Last year, Ruben Caballero, a senior engineer and antenna expert, informed Apple’s management the device’s design may cause reception problems, said the person, who is not authorized to speak on Apple’s behalf and asked not to be identified. A carrier partner also raised concerns about the antenna before the device’s June 24 release, according to another person familiar with the situation.